Takeo Kurita

Takeo Kurita (28 April 1889-19 December 1977) was a Vice Admiral of the Imperial Japanese Army who led Strike Force One during World War II.

Biography
Takeo Kurita was born on 28 April 1889 in Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan, and he joined the Imperial Japanese Navy in 1910. Kurita was a Rear Admiral by 1938, and at the start of World War II he led the Japanese 7th Cruiser Division. During the 1942 Battle of Midway, he led the Close Support Force, but in late 1944 he took command of Strike Force One during the Battle of Leyte Gulf. His strike force sank a considerable number of US Navy warships, but after two hours Kurita was forced to withdraw without a decisive victory. In December 1944, he was relieved of command for not fighting to the death, and he worked as a scribe and masseur after the war's end, rarely speaking of the war except for when he was very old. He died in 1977 at the age of 88.